Red Line
The Red Line is a term that refers to the maximum effective range limit of a wizard's magical abilities. The Red Line manifests itself as an invisible radius around the wizard or witch. It is similar to a parahuman's distorted perception field, in that it allows manipulation of spacetime and reality within the confines of a circular area of effect around a being. History ACS-1R Citadels have a visible, actual red line around their magi-tec reactor cores inside their reactor rooms, indicating that at least two wizards must be within it at all times to ensure that power generation is constant. In 2029, Adam Creel used the last of his strength to bypass the Red Line in order to extend his range temporarily in order to pull a dangerous metahuman towards him. The act of doing so successfully defeated the metahuman and saved nearby Union City citizens, but cost Creel his life. Characteristics Limits The Red Line's radius varies slightly depending on the wizard and channeling device, but all observed instances have been around 7.62 meters (25ft). Wizards cannot magically affect anything outside this radius, but substances and energies they can conjure as well as items still can be projected out of it, such as fire, lighting and energy bolts. A bullet fired from a magically-enhanced gun or a plasma bolt from a wand for example do not need to be enchanted, as all of the magical reality manipulation happens behind the Red Line, making the wizard still extremely deadly. Magic will also tend to be stronger the closer the wizard is. At the outer limits of the Red Line magical power drops exponentially, and the boundary itself is the point where magical abilities are considered ineffective. Magi-tec equipment and vehicles usually displays the designated area where a wizard must be standing or sitting in order to use it, with a red line, reinforcing the term and showing that it can be taken literally. Ways around limits If there are multiple sources of Red Matter, it is possible to transfer magical energy and specific intent along a long distance. * Some extremely large magically-enhanced vehicles and pieces of equipment utilize Rm nodes and energy relay points within their construction, allowing a wizards to channel their energy through conduits inside the magi-tec. This is not a violation of the boundary line as their magic is being carried from one point to another rather than being manifested at a point outside the boundary line. * Wizards can cooperate with each other and send streams of mana to each other, or use portable Rm relays to extend their range and increase their magical power when the are without a wand or wish to intensify their abilities. It is possible to 'naturally' extend a wizard's range further than the Red Line without the aid of magical items, but only with consequences. To do so requires the wizard to exert themselves to the point beyond where it is safe to do so, focusing their willpower on extending their magical abilities beyond it. This can be accomplished, but at the price of having copious and dangerous amounts of mana flow through their bodies, to the point where there is an extremely high to certain chance of death, as in the case of Adam Creel. It is therefore usually not worth it to attempt going beyond the Red Line, as it is not only the boundary line of effectiveness but also a recommended safe limit. Category:Magic